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Answer
A promise is a vow or pledge to take an action or an assurance that something will definitely happen. There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful about making a promise. In fact, the Bible records a great number of promises God Himself has made.
When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden of Eden, God made a covenant—a special promise based on a personal relationship—to send a Savior who would “crush [Satan’s] head” and deliver mankind from sin «and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. », (Genesis 3:15). God made more covenants with Noah and all mankind (Genesis 9:8-17), with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), with the Israelites (Deuteronomy 11 and 30:1-10), with David (2 Samuel 7:8-16), and with believers in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34). God has made promises to care for His people (Psalm 9:9-10; Matthew 6:31-33; Romans 8:28), promises to bless those who seek and obey Him (Psalm 37:4; Isaiah 40:31; James 1:5), promises to grant salvation and forgiveness to those who believe in Him and choose to follow Him (John 3:36;
Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9, and many more. Whatever promises God makes, He keeps.
Our promises are important, especially when we make a promise to God. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).
Promises can be beautiful and honorable and made for the good of others. But they must be kept. As we are imperfect humans, we should only make promises with care and introspection so they do not turn into sin. Promises can be easily broken or made with the wrong motivation, which may result in damage to ourselves or others. When making a promise, the believer should consider the following questions:
1. Is your promise made with the intention of harming someone else? Jesus declared that the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus also taught that we are to forgive our enemies (Matthew 18:21-22) and not take revenge (Matthew 5:38-40). If the promise is made with the intent to harm someone or seek revenge, it is sin.
2. Do you intend to keep the promise? Promises should not be made without a strict intention to keep them. Even something as seemingly benign as promising someone, “I’ll pray for you,” and then neglecting to pray is a broken promise. When it comes to swearing an oath, Jesus instructed, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” «But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. », (Matthew 5:37). This principle can also be applied to commitments.
3. Have you carefully considered your commitment? Thoughtless commitments can be risky, especially when made to God. In Judges 11:29–40, we learn about Jephthah’s hasty vow to the Lord. In exchange for victory over the Ammonites, Jephthah pledged to sacrifice whatever first greeted him upon his return home. Unfortunately, it was Jephthah’s only child, his daughter, who welcomed him back.
4. Do you possess the ability to fulfill your commitment? A commitment relying on someone else’s actions or an unknown factor lacks assurance of being honored and should therefore be avoided. Such commitments can damage one’s credibility and portray the individual as untrustworthy.
There is a well-known saying: “A promise made is a promise kept.” This is the level of loyalty that every believer should aspire to. A Christian should only make a commitment if they are fully committed to honoring it.
